5 Ways to Add Pizzazz to Your Summer Drinks

Nothing tastes better on a hot summer’s day than an ice cold drink. Lemonade, iced tea, and sparkling water are all delicious and refreshing. But, if you’re entertaining, you might want to step up your old favorites just a bit with some of these fun ideas.

Hot summer days need ice cold drinks and that often means ice cubes. While you can make your own ice cubes from water or frozen cubes of your favorite fruit juice, it’s also fun to add reusable ice cubes to your drinks. Looks for reusable ice cubes made in fun summer shapes like flowers and fish.

If you’d rather not use ice cubes in your summer drinks, why not add chunks of fresh fruit instead? You can float frozen grapes or frozen berries in your beverages just as easily. Serve the frozen fruits on a shish kabob stick to make eating them easier when you’re done drinking. Consider coordinating the colors to provide contrast. Green grapes work well in iced tea. And, strawberries look fun in lemonade.

Summer means flowers for many people so why not add a few flowers to your drinks. Did you know that many flowers are edible? The next time you’re enjoying a glass of lemonade or iced tea, why not float pansies, nasturtiums or dandelions in your drink. Don’t forget to nibble on them when you’re done.

If you want a simple idea to add a bit of fun to your drinks, why not add bubbles? Fruit juice, lemonade, and iced tea all taste a little bit better with the addition of seltzer water. Just be sure to add the seltzer to your drink right before serving it so the bubbles don’t disappear. You don’t want to serve flat drinks to your guests.

Not all summer drinks need to be sweet. If you’re enjoying a more savory drink, you can add a few sprigs of fresh herbs. Try thyme or rosemary for savory drinks or add lavender and mint for a sweeter drink. Experiment to find your favorites. Or, if you want something that is crisp and refreshing, you can try a slice of lemon and a spring of rosemary in an ice cold glass of water.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with sticking with your favorite summer drinks. But, if you want to do something a little bit different, I hope you’ll try a few of these ways to add pizzazz to your summer drinks.